In this part of the country In-N-Out fries are best and cut and cooked right in front of you, nothing out of a freezer. You see them cut the potato and throw it in the vat of vegetable oil. They hide nothing.
Freezing after the first fry improves the texture and crispness and cuts oil Absorbption considerably as Steam can be converted easier for the second fry. Freezing after the first fry also "damages" the structure which is a good thing and therefore the ice crystals can be released much faster.
With that said, I have made fries without the Freeze after the first fry and they have been equally as good, just a different texture and of course a bit more oily (which can be good in its own right). It just depends on what you like and what you are after.
McDonalds is considered the gold standard. (of course that is subjective)